Resolution Supporting GDS Public Space May 2019

RESOLUTION SUPPORTING PUBLIC SPACE APPLICATION BY GEORGETOWN DAY SCHOOL,

DDOT # _________

WHEREAS:

Georgetown Day School (GDS) applied for a special exception to relocate its lower and middle schools (LMS) to its current high school campus in Tenleytown. After multiple hearings, the ANC supported GDS’ application, and the Board of Zoning Administration (BZA) granted it.

GDS and the ANC, with extensive input from the community at large, worked together for many months to arrive at a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) embodying a set of conditions that fairly balances the respective needs of the parties.

Chief among those conditions were a set of trip goals, maturing into a hard-and-fast trip cap.

In particular, GDS has agreed to limit trips during the AM peak period to 595 at full enrollment. This is an aggressive requirement for an institution such as GDS.

The ANC and GDS further agreed to measures to disperse the impacts from these trips.

Such measures include opening an additional entrance on River Road and closing one curb cut.

In conjunction with these measures, GDS agreed to install a traffic light at Chesapeake St and Wisconsin Ave, and to close the slip lane from Ellicott Street to 42ndStreet.

The slip lane poses a severe threat to pedestrians and it is not necessary for southbound traffic to enter 42ndStreet.

By closing the slip lane and allowing southbound traffic to instead enter the current “fishhook” at 42ndand Wisconsin, GDS’ action eliminates an unnecessary risk to pedestrians.

The fishhook currently serves as an outletfor from 42ndto Wisconsin. Because the left hand turn from 42ndto Wisconsin northbound is hazardous, DDOT has decided it will not permit such turns to continue.

The traffic light GDS is installing at Chesapeake will permit through traffic on 42ndStreet to enter Wisconsin safely, whether traffic is bound northbound or southbound.

There would be scant reason for outbound traffic on 42ndSt to make the righthand turn from the fishhook to go northbound on Wisconsin, since such traffic would essentially be backtracking. Accordingly, DDOT and GDS have agreed to close the outbound lane at the fishhook. GDS will leave this lane in a state from which it can relatively quickly and cheaply be returned to automobile service, however, should the need arise (for instance, should the Maarten’s lot be developed with possible traffic overload on 42ndSt northbound).

GDS will fill the slip lane in with grass at the level of the adjacent grassy island. This will create a small park that will benefit the community. GDS plans to add benches and chairs to this space so that pedestrians may linger there.

GDS also plans to build a protected bike lane from the new park to the end of the block.

Although the bike lane will eliminate a few parking spaces, these spaces largely serve GDS, which is building abundant new underground parking.

We believe that protected bicycle infrastructure is important. Although the bike lane GDS is building runs only for a block, we hope it can serve as a demonstration project for further infrastructure in our neighborhood.

We do note that we were surprised that DDOT and GDS decided to remove the lane of parking opposite the protected bike lane, and if there is any way to accommodate the bike lane and two travel lanes with the parking on the opposite side, we respectfully urge DDOT and GDS to consider doing so.

Taken together, we believe the work recited in GDS’ public space application will make help make our neighborhood safer and more livable.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

ANC 3E supports the application.

The resolution passed by a vote of __-__-__ at a properly noticed meeting held on March 15, 2018, at which a quorum was present, with Commissioners Bender, Ehrhardt, Hall, McHugh, and Quinn in attendance.